


Big Trouble in the Big Apple! Or Just Trouble In General

by Cornerverse



Series: Hero Chat AU [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gabriel stays in his own lane for once, Gen, Sabrina goes feral, Swearing, can't get through doors but can protect the world, occasional angst but mostly shenanigans, su songs, they're teens let them swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27815581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerverse/pseuds/Cornerverse
Summary: Team Miraculous goes to New York for French-American Friendship Week! What trouble can they get up to there?!With Hawkmoth staying in Paris, it's not like they'll run into anything the local Heroes can't handle! Right? Not like there's some lost Miraculous hanging around just waiting to be stolen!More importantly, how will the seasoned Heroes of New York react to Team Miraculous? Will they be impressed by how good they are for their age? Or think that they're too young and irresponsible to be protecting a city?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Alix Kubdel, Max Kanté/Lê Chiến Kim, Olympia Hill/Barbara Keynes
Series: Hero Chat AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533146
Comments: 43
Kudos: 265





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's time!!!!

"Remind me why Mr. Pigeon wanted to go to space?" Nino asked. 

"I don't know," Adrien replied. "I'm just glad the space suits canceled my allergies. I should use that next time we fight him."

"I know half the class is in on this," Marinette whispered, leaning forward to but into their conversation. "But can you two keep from telling literally everyone your identities?"

The boys jumped, and turned to say sorry, but were cut off by a cough from Miss. Bustier. She gave the group a look, before nodding back to the video. 

Instead of watching the sock puppets, Marinette smiled at the red rose in her hands. Though the reveal and subsequent relationships have helped her calm down a lot from being a disaster around her crushes, she still got giddy every time she thought about them. Her parents called it the ‘honeymoon phase’, saying it would calm in time. But right now felt a wonderful kind of overwhelming that didn’t feel like it would go away soon. 

It had her somewhat conflicted about this trip though. Luka and Kagami weren't in their class. They wouldn’t be on the field trip to New York. It made her want to stay here, in Paris. The field trip was optional, after all. 

But she had her duties. As Ladybug, co-leader of Team Miraculous, she had to attend French-American Friendship Week. She had always planned on making contact with foreign Heroes, and this was a good opportunity. 

Marinette managed to snap back to attention in time for Miss Bustier to tell them that their second chaperone would be Miss. Mendeleiev. A little unexpected. Usually the Principal accompanied them on field trips. Perhaps he wanted to avoid Knight Owl confronting him about ripping off his persona. 

Which would definitely happen because Chloé planned on hunting down Knight Owl to discuss Copyright Issues surrounding Dark Owl and Miraculous Merchandising because that whole incident was ‘an utterly ridiculous headache!’. 

"What's wrong?" Nino asked, looking to Adrien. 

"I'm… not sure my father will let me go on the trip," Adrien admitted.

"You couldn't mention this earlier Sunshine?" Alya said. 

"I'm stuck in Paris too!" Lila butted in, leaning back enough to practically lay on the ground just to see him. "I have obligations because of my charity work! But we could see each other if you like!"

Oh that did it. Marinette had already decided, but that was the icing on the cake. Adrien was their friend, her boyfriend! The co-leader of Team Miraculous! Looking around the room at the rest of the classmates, it seemed they all had the same agreement. 

Adrien would not be staying in Paris, even if they had to storm his father's office. 

* * *

Gabriel was surprised to see a large crowd on the security cameras. Odd. He was sure he hadn't done something to warrant protesters.

Looking closer at the screen, he recognized the group. Nearly all of Adrien's classmates were gathered at the gate. 

Hm. Their emotions felt determined. Not upset or enraged enough to be Akumatized. What could they be here for? 

Ah. The New York trip. Gabriel had been hesitant to let Adrien there. It wasn't like Paris. In Paris, he was the one in control of the villains. He could keep anything from going too far, and could rely on the Ladybug Miraculous to correct things if that failed. New York didn't have any of that. 

Despite that, he had to admit, he was a little impressed. Gabriel was well aware that he could be intimidating, yet these children were willing to go against him for Adrien's sake. 

Especially Miss Dupain-Cheng. She had a lot to lose if Gabriel were a petty sort of vengeful. Her love life, her career, all in his hands. Yet she still was a part of this. 

Very well.

* * *

"What's wrong, Adrien?" Kagami asked. "You were quite out of it."

"The rest of the class is going to New York tomorrow," Adrien admitted. "I wish I could go with them. I know they'll probably get me when they need Chat, but I won't be on the actual trip."

"If you truly think you'll miss out," she said. "Then you underestimate the power of Marinette."

He stared at her, like the curious cat he was. Kagami gave a soft smile before tilting his head up for a kiss. 

"Marinette messaged me to make sure you stayed at practice longer," Kagami said. "She plans on convincing your father. And knowing her, I have a feeling it will work out very well.”

"Are you okay with me going?" Adrien asked. "I know we already planned on Mari and I going but considering us…"

"If you miss Luka and I that much," she said. "I’m sure we can convince Max to help us arrange a datenight. Now, if you are done moping, I would prefer an actual sparring match. After all, if you wish to protect your prince and princess, you should be able to keep up with a Dragon."

* * *

Arashi leaped across the rooftops, following Ladybug. It was interesting to watch her. Though her civilian self could be quite clumsy, she was graceful when confident. Ladybug knew she could leap across rooftops, that her yoyo would help her reach the ones she couldn't. So she threw herself into running without hesitation. 

The pair stopped on the roof of an office building, taking a break from patrolling the city. The view was quite beautiful. And so was the Parisian skyline. 

"Are you okay with this?" Ladybug asked abruptly. "With Chat and I leaving. I mean, I know I already pushed for him to go and I don't want you or Viperion to think I'm trying to hog him to myself after all we initially went through with figuring this out and-"

"You and Chat are very similar," Arashi cut her off. "He asked me if I was okay with this as well."

"Oh," she blinked. "And… Are you..?"

"Yes," she replied. "I didn't enter this relationship just for Chat, but for all three of you. I am not going to turn jealous when you are alone together. And even if I were insecure about it, I know you were not the only one who wanted him on this trip. He has many friends, and they all would like for him to go. Honestly, I'd be more offended if you had asked me if I had doubts about being able to protect Paris."

"Now that I don't have doubts about," she laughed. "You and Viperion can handle an Akuma or two on your own for a bit. I doubt we'll need more than just me showing up to purify the Butterfly and fix damages."

"Too true," she agreed, kissing her cheek. 

* * *

Luka had known that Marinette would be late. That's why as soon as he dropped Juleka off at the school, he rode over to the bakery. Tom and Sabine gave a wave and told him to go up, though didn’t get much chance to talk as they were already swamped with customers. 

Surprisingly, Luka found Marinette awake. Unsurprisingly, she was scrambling to throw the last few items into her suitcase.

"I think I have everything," Marinette said. "You three see anything I missed?"

"Phone and charger?" Tikki suggested. 

"Yep," she said, double checking the pockets. 

"Carry on bag?" Luka suggested. 

"Here!" She said, holding her backback. 

"Toothbrush?" Sass suggested. 

At that, Marinette swore and bolted to the bathroom. After very quickly brushing her teeth, the toothbrush was thrown in and the suitcase zipped up. 

Before Luka could blink, she was dragging him downstairs, and somehow he was carrying the suitcase. Marinette gave a rushed goodbye to her parents before bolting out the door.

"I know I asked already and I double checked with Kagami but-" Marinette began.

"Yes, I'm okay with the trip," Luka assured her. "Are you okay with it? Because if you don't want to commit to leaving Paris, Max could come get you when needed."

"I'm a little nervous," she admitted. 

An understatement, as usual. But it was hard to hide things like that from Luka. He could hear her song, it’s tempo far too fast and erratic. Something was still wrong.

He slowed down, pulling her closer so they could talk without passerby hearing too much. 

“It’s not just about us, is it?” Luka asked. 

“I’m representing Paris’s Heroes,” Marinette said. “I have the team, but Adrien and I are the leaders. Everything we do will be judged by Heroes like Majesta and Knight Owl and who knows who else. It puts things in perspective, you know? What if they think we’re unfit for the job and make us hand over our Miraculous?”

“You’ll be fine,” he assured. “Think of it this way. If the United Heroes had a problem with you, it’d be easy for Majesta to fly over here and deal with it at any time. She hasn’t interfered yet, so I don’t think she will. 

“I guess,” she sighed. “Thanks.”

Luckily she was calming more as they approached the school bus. Though Marinette was still last to arrive, she wasn’t actually late. 

“Glad to see you Marinette,” Miss Bustier said. “And hello again, Luka.”

“Just making sure she’s on time,” Luka said. 

“I would’ve been on time,” Marinette said. 

It was clear that no one believed that statement. Everyone, even the teachers, had expressions of extreme doubt. 

“Anyway,” Marinette said, taking her suitcase to load it on the bus, “Thanks for the help!”

Marinette had to get on her toes to kiss him, which was adorable. Though Adrien’s timing of leaning against them could’ve been better. The three nearly toppled over. 

“Mari, stop hogging my boyfriend,” Adrien fake groaned. 

“You hogged him all last night, let me have this!” Marinette laughed, pushing him off. 

“Oh god I don’t need to know that!” Juleka shouted. 

* * *

Going through airport security was nerve wracking as hell. It shouldn’t be, outside of general anxieties. But when several students had Magic items that, even in disguise, would be taken off when going through metal detectors....

The fear of those getting lost or stolen was high. Or what if someone noticed the Kwami? No one wanted to risk them being found during a bag search, so they opted to discreetly fly through and avoid the scanners entirely. But they could still be seen!

“Miss!” one of the security agents called. “I can take you and your class over here!”

Miss Bustier and Miss Mendeleiev led them to an oddly empty station and began the procedure. As Marinette shakingly put her earrings in her purse, she got a good look at the Agent who had called them over. 

Wild red hair was pulled back in a professional ponytail, and bright green eyes shone with mischief. 

“Y-you’re…” Marinette tried to figure out what to say. 

“Oh, I know you,” the Agent said. “Your family runs that bakery. Love the cookies by the way.”

“Yes ma’am,” she nodded, trying to figure out what was happening. 

By now, the rest of the Team had noticed as well. And all of them seemed a little afraid. 

“I actually stopped by this morning,” the Agent said, putting Marinette’s items through the scanner. “Then I got called in here last minute. Seems like they had a shipment to go through customs and needed my approval.” 

Oh. Marinette hadn’t thought of that. Magic Law sometimes followed Mortal Law. Transporting several Magic Artifacts overseas might be a little suspicious. 

“All the papers were in order, really,” the Agent shook her head. “It shouldn't have been an issue. But they wanted me to come down and put the official seal on it. I swear they can’t operate a printer here without me sometimes!”

And with that, she handed Marinette her bags back and turned to the next in line. Checking, the Ladybug Earrings were still in her purse. As she put them back on, she gave a sigh of relief that this went as well as it did. Hopefully the rest of the trip would be less stressful. 

Okay. Maybe not ‘less’ stressful. Seems that Chloé managed to swing shoving them all into first class seats. Which was. A lot to take in. At least there was plenty of room and probably some decent in-flight movies. Though the other first-class passengers giving them the side-eye could be done without. 

As everyone found their seats, Marinette had to wonder who chose the arrangements. All of the students paired up by couples. The only exceptions were Sabrina, who was single, and Nathaniel, whose partner wasn’t on the trip. Miss Bustier and Miss Mendeleiev sat together as well, in the furthest back so that they could observe everyone. 

And now Marinette was realizing she would be spending several hours on a plane sitting right next to her boyfriend. She may die tonight. But at least she’ll die happy. 

* * *

Chloé woke up to Alix poking her face. Not the best awakening. Not the worst though. Better than a crocodile. 

“I was asleep,” Chloé muttered, groggily glaring. 

“And I need to pee,” Alix replied. “You have a death grip in your sleep, you know that?”

Somewhat reluctantly, Chloé released Alix’s arm. As Alix got up and headed toward the bathrooms, Chloé decided to stretch a little. Looking around, she noticed some others were up. Marinette and Adrien were back near the bathrooms too. She couldn’t hear them, but she could hear Alya call them ‘either the cutest people I know, or the most embarrassing’. Which was absolutely true. 

Checking the time showed that they should be arriving in New York soon. And that thought made a pit of… something sink into her stomach. 

That thought derailed for a moment when Sabrina sat down next to her. 

“Hey,” Sabrina said. 

“Hey yourself,” Chloé nodded. “Shouldn’t you be asleep or something?”

“I slept a bit,” she said. “But I noticed Alix was up and I… wanted to check on you.”

“Maybe I’m still half asleep but why?” she wondered. 

“I just…” she sighed. “I know how much you always wanted to go to New York. And now you are. But…”

Oh. Right. The only reason Chloé had wanted to go to New York was because she wanted her mother to take her. To have her mother love her enough to want her to come with her. But that’s not what’s happening now. 

“It’s…. Complicated,” Chloé said. “I know we haven't talked as much lately. Especially considering I'm avoiding Lila when I can. But there's progress on that front. Dealing with sorting out everything my mother made me think and feel." 

"That's good," Sabrina said. "I think I'm doing better too. Realizing how bad my own mindset was and how you were right. We kind of weren't good for each other."

"It doesn't mean I'm giving up on you," she reminded. "I still want to be your friend. Just a better friend."

"I want that too," she said. "But it's hard sometimes. Most of the class is helping. I even started talking to people outside of our class. Like Marc. Or- or Aurore. But sometimes it's hard because not everyone is on board. And at first I didn't want to admit it. Partly because I didn't want to think about it, and I wasn't sure if I was recognizing the signs right. But I guess some of it was that I think I just felt comfortable falling into old patterns."

"Guess we're adding another parent to "people we want to fight"," she muttered. 

Sabrina was looking at her a bit confused at that comment. Which in turn confused Chloé. Maybe Sabrina wasn't quite ready for the 'you were like this before meeting me, so someone had to teach you that toxic stuff' talk. 

"So what were you talking about?" Chloé deflected.

"I meant Lila," Sabrina said, still trying to analyze what Chloé had meant. "She's a lot like you were. Asking me to do things for her. And at first I didn't realize it because she was nicer, and no one else questions it with her like they do when it was you. Then there was a… situation."

"Ah," she nodded. "Lila. She's a hell of a situation. So. What tipped you off?"

"Remember that gala your parents hosted?" She asked.

""I didn't go but I remember it," she replied. 

That was a half truth. "Chloé" didn't go. But "Honeybee" did. Not that it matters much. 

"Lila said she went," Sabrina said. "Because of all her celebrity connections or a charity she works on or something. I believed it until she pulled me aside to talk about your mom."

That made Chloé stiffen up. This would not end well. 

“What did she say?” Chloé asked. 

“That she befriended your mom,” Sabrina said. “That all your mom talked about at the gala was you, and how she wished you were closer, but you were being ‘rebellious and defiant’. And that your new friends were encouraging it. Lila told me because she wanted me to talk to you about maybe giving your mom another chance.”

Oh boy. Lila better be glad that Sabrina told her this now instead of back in Paris or else she would’ve really knocked some sense into her. 

Hell. Max was asleep. Maybe she could go borrow Kaalki and do it anyway. 

“That tipped me off,” Sabrina said. “We might not be talking a lot lately, but I do know enough about your mother to know that’s not true.”

“Definitely not,” Chloé growled. “Thanks for, you know. Telling me.”

“I had to,” Sabrina said.

Chloé took a breath, calming herself. It was something she could work out later. Instead, she focused on the positive. Like Sabrina actually talking to her again. 

“I missed this, you know,” Chloé said. “Missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Sabrina grinned. “Do you think we could, you know. Hang out a little on the trip? I know we’re still unlearning some things but I think everyone else can keep us in check if we start to fall into old patterns.”

“I think I’d like that,” she nodded. 

She was about to say more when the plane suddenly jolted. Far too much to be just a little turbulence. Especially considering the screams. 

Looking out the window of the plane, Chloé saw a very large man with blue skin holding a… was that one of the turbines????

“Oh no!” Alya gasped. “That’s Techno-Pirate! The villain who steals technology!”

“That’s oddly specif-AH!” Chloé was cut off as the plane jerked again, throwing her against the wall, and Sabrina into her. 

Internally, Chloé was trying to strategize. She took a glance at the rest of the Team, seeing what they were thinking. Evacuation would be best, so Max should try and transform, then open a portal. The question was how the rest of the team would get out of the plane to fight. 

“Don’t worry, sweethearts!” a feminine voice came through the plane’s speakers. “We have the situation under control! Dear passengers, the United Heroes are here to protect you!”

“Uncanny Valley!” Alya practically squealed. “The first superhero AI, created my Majesta! Which means-!!!”

Sure enough, a red and blue blur flew around the plane. Majesta disappeared underneath, and the plane began to right itself. 

Chloé found herself actually relaxing a little. Not fully, as she was still ready to jump into the fight. But it was nice to have other Heroes save the day for once. Unless they were really needed, it seemed like Team Miraculous was okay with sitting back and watching. 

Though Alya’s fangirling might soon reach a pitch that could break Sabrina’s glasses. 

As Techno-Pirate managed to take an entire engine off the plane’s wing, two new shapes dropped onto the wing as well. One of which Chloé was fairly interested in talking to!

“Techno-Pirate, you’re under arrest!” Knight Owl announced. 

It took him all of five seconds to kick ass and tie the villain up. It took even less time for Uncanny Valley to fix the engine. Huh. Maybe she should talk to Knight Owl about some things other than copyright issues. Like martial arts training. 

As soon as the plane was stable, Majesta flew up to fuss over Uncanny Valley. It was so… sweet. And motherly. After the previous conversation, that sight felt like a dagger to the heart. 

* * *

Alya was… a little worried about Marinette and Adrien. 

She loved them, of course. As cute and embarrassing as they were. And she knew they could be incredibly competent! They were Ladybug and Chat Noir! Leaders of Team Miraculous! Protectors of Paris! 

But while the rest of the class socialized with some kids from an American school, the protectors of Paris were defeated by a sliding door. 

“Okay, students!” Miss Bustier gathered their attention. “Your rooms have been assigned in pairs.”

“Assigned?” Kim asked. “Couldn’t we figure things out ourselves?”

“This is a school trip,” Miss Mendeleiev reminded. “And we do have to abide by school rules. Like separating you by gender for reasons you’re all old enough to understand.”

“I know there are ways around those rules,” Miss Bustier said. “As most of you are somewhere under the LGBT umbrella. However, in the spirit of what that rule is for, we are still going by gender and separating the couples.”

“What about….” Juleka began to ask. 

“You’re with Sabrina,” Miss Mendeleiev said. 

Juleka gave a sigh of relief as the rest of the assignments were handed out. Alya was with Alix. Chloé with Marinette, Rose with Mylene. Then the boys had Adrien with Kim, Nino and Max, then Ivan and Nathaniel. 

“Hey,” one of the American students whispered to them. “We’re throwing a little party on the rooftop, if you’re interested. Hang with us, but be quiet, okay?”

He made sure to wink at Sabrina before leaving, leaving the girl a bit flustered. Which sent Alya’s matchmaking senses a tingling! 

“I think he’d love to see you there, Sabrina,” Alya nudged her. “And you might make a ‘friend’!”

The entire class groaned at the ‘friend’ joke. Especially Marinette and Adrien. 

* * *

"You do know they're probably sneaking out to that party," Dimitra asked. 

"Probably," Caline shrugged. 

"And you're discouraging me from stopping them because…?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Because half of them are superheroes," she said. "This is probably the first time they're being normal teenagers without having to worry about running off to fight evil."

Well. She had to give her that. They both had speculated about half the class going missing on this trip anyway. One of the reasons Dimitra volunteered to go instead of the principal. Easier than telling him the kids are superheroes.

* * *

Adrien was having the time of his life! Usually his teen rebellion involved sneaking into school and being a superhero. Now he can add sneaking out to a late rooftop party to the list!

While everyone was kind of sticking to their own friends, they were branching out a little. Kim found some jocks to challenge, and Max loved showing off Markov. Adrien and Marinette had already befriended two kids, Aeon and Jess. 

"Looking cool, Sabrina!" Chloé shouted. 

The girl in question blushed as the rest of the group complimented her outfit change. 

Sabrina had ditched the sweater vest and bowtie entirely. Though she still wore a white dress shirt, the sleeves were at her elbows and the top buttons were undone. She'd also traded the shorts and tights for a skirt and thigh-high socks. Her flats and headband all had a diamond accent on them. 

“Juleka helped me pick it out,” Sabrina said. 

“Girl has good taste!” Alya mused. “So, Chloé mentioned she invited you to hang out?”

“Yeah,” Sabrina nodded. “I’ll probably go back and forth between groups but… uh. This might sound weird to ask but when I am with Chloé…”

“Check to make sure you’re not falling into old patterns?” Nino guessed. 

She nodded, sighing a little. Adrien felt a bit of a twinge of guilt. While he hadn’t been close with Sabrina, he did hang out with her before he started school, since Chloé was a mutual friend. He honestly hadn’t noticed anything was ‘off’ about their relationship until more recently. 

He was snapped out of those thoughts as something flew toward the air toward them. Instinct screamed ‘Akuma!’, despite the fact that it was unlikely Hawkmoth had followed them to New York, and adrenaline made him want to run and transform. 

At least until the New York kids began excitedly cheering. Okay, some kind of Hero, not a villain. Good. 

“Hey hey hey!” The Hero shouted as he landed. “Hot Dog Dan is here, so get the mood! I’m the Hero of picnics and tasty food!”

“A… hot dog hero?” Chloé asked. 

“Hm,” Jess said. “Usually he teams up with Ketchup Boy and Mustard Justice, but looks like he’s patrolling solo tonight. You should hurry if you want to try some of his Magic Hot Dogs.”

“Magic… hot dogs….” she shook her head. 

“We have a Magic Ice Cream man,” Alix said. “What’s weirder?”

“Ketchup Boy and Mustard Justice?” Marinette repeated. “Remind me never to make fun of an Akuma name again.”

Despite the strange situation, they did head over to the cart. And sure enough, the Magic Hot Dogs did their trick. A few people began to breathe rainbow fire. Some were glowing or talking in high voices. Sabrina took a bite, and suddenly her hair was as long as Rapunzel’s! Rose was able to lift Ivan in the air with one hand!

Alya, meanwhile, began asking Hot Dog Dan a million questions. How did the Magic Hot Dogs work? Was the effect predetermined when he made the Hot Dogs, or does it react with the person eating it to make custom reactions? If the latter, then what effects were more or less common?

Adrien split his hot dog with Marinette, surprised to find that both started floating! Thankfully it was only a few feet off the air and not, you know. Right into the stratosphere. 

“This isn’t going to end well when we have to get down, is it?” Marinette sighed, letting Adrien pull her closer. 

“I’d say ‘Hot Dog Dan probably has a plan’,” Adrien replied. “But since it’s us…. Yeah I expect to crash.”

“Let’s enjoy it while it lasts,” she said. 

Back on the ground, everyone was commenting on how adorable they are. 

“You were right,” Jess said, nudging Aeon with her elbow. “Those two are made for each other.”

“Just be glad you met them after they figured it out,” Alya said. 

* * *

Sabrina wasn’t sure how to react when Aeon dragged her to a makeshift stage. She became even less unsure when Aeon handed her a microphone. 

“What-?” Sabrina tried to ask. 

“Milagros rented a karaoke set,” Aeon explained, gesturing to the Hispanic girl fiddling with the set up. 

“Oh,” she said. “I’m not much of a singer, really. You should get Rose though! She’s in a band! She’ll sound great!”

“Karaoke isn’t about sounding great,” Milagros said. “It’s about having fun!”

“Your class seems to need it,” Aeon said. “Several of you seem very tense and frustrated. Humans need an outlet for their emotions. And I hear that singing your heart out is a great one.”

“I can try,” Sabrina nodded. “But, uh, while my English is decent I don’t know many American songs.”

“Hm,” Milagros said. “Your friend group looks like they might enjoy Steven Universe.”

“I’ve watched it,” she nodded. “I think I can do one of those songs.”

Milagros nodded, finishing connecting a few wires before heading to her laptop. A few clicks of the keys, and [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpi0wyVRP0I) began playing while words appeared on the screen. 

A crowd had gathered as well. Sabrina wasn’t used to so many people seeing her, watching her. Everyone else was always more interesting or loud than she was, got everyone’s attention. And she hated it, even if that’s how it was supposed to be. To protect and serve, not be served or protected, not to be… given attention or to ask for anything more. 

Looking out at them, at her classmates who she considers friends, and the new kids who have already begun to talk to her and treat her like- like an equal to the others. Something inside her snapped. 

“ _Thank you, thank you, thank you_ ,” Sabrina almost laughed, a manic grin coming to her face. “ _Thank you for gracing me with your presence!_ ”

The crowd instantly got hyped up. A few of her friends had a flash of concern on their faces, but Sabrina shook it off. 

“ _Good afternoon, Sir,_ ” Sabrina sang. “ _What can I do, Sir? Just say the word, Sir! Anything for you, Sir! Your friends all say, Sir, ‘you don’t deserve her’. I disagree, Sir! I live to serve, Sir!_ ”

That phrase felt disgusting in her mouth now. Things made sense. The way her classmates were concerned about how she tried to show her appreciation. The way they thought Chloé treated her poorly. How even Chloé admitted she wanted a friend, not a servant. 

How she always hated how she was in that role. And wanted more. 

“ _I think about all the wasted time I’ve spent!_ ” Sabrina belted out. “ _I wanna be, disobedient! I shoot awake wondering where my summers went! I wanna be disobedient! Disobedient! Disobedient!_ ”

It felt good to sing this. Full of rage and longing, but good. Until she realized who that rage was aimed at. After all, it wasn’t her friends who had put that motto into her head. Yet, all that did was build on the rage and turn it to fury. 

“ _I’ve been good, Sir, so very, very good for what?!_ ” Sabrina nearly screamed. “ _And I’ve given you every single thing I’ve got! It’s feeling strange, man! This whole arrangement is gonna end with me totally deranged!_ ”

“ _When I think about all the wasted time I’ve spent! I wanna be disobedient! I shoot awake wondering where my summers went! I wanna be disobedient! Disobedient! Disobedient!_ "

The crowd was fully hyped and dancing now. Her friends looked genuinely proud. It was then Sabrina realized that they were probably aware of how she felt, just waiting for her to figure it out. 

She should be more upset at this. But instead it felt… right. 

“ _I want to be disobedient,_ ” Sabrina sang the last lines, her voice cracking a little. “ _I want to be disobedient. Disobedient. Disobedient. Disobedient._ ”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Hawkmoth is not involved in this, it's all Techno-Pirate baby!
> 
> Also I forgot to mention, but I did redesign Uncanny Valley a little. A drawing is here: https://cornerverse.tumblr.com/post/632980871102726145/so-i-ended-up-redesigning-uncanny-valley-a-little
> 
> But if you don't want to look, just imagine her with gray metal instead of white, less decorative lines, and actual clothes on her.

Maybe sneaking out late and partying was a bad idea. Chloé had thought they would be fine! After all, Team Miraculous runs on pretty much coffee and spite instead of sleep thanks to personal project, patrols, and the occasional late-night Akuma. Staying up like that should’ve been fine!

No one remembered to factor in jet lag. The whole group was trying not to stumble off the bus on their museum trip. 

“Oh my god!” Alya shouted, suddenly very awake and startling everyone. “That teacher over there! That’s Dean Gate! A.K.A. Doorman! He can turn any door into a teleporting passage! Amazing!”

“I think making portals are more amazing,” Kim said, throwing a sly smirk at Max. 

“I’m going to ask him for a quote for the Ladyblog!” she said, completely ignoring him and running over. 

“Huh,” Chloé said. “I’ve heard about how American Heroes don’t always hide their identities. But…”

“I think we’ll be fine,” Marinette reassured. “I’m not as familiar with American Heroes, but Alya told me that most who have revealed their Identities are either the small-time ones who don’t fight the dangerous villains, like Doorman is, or ones who would already be in danger for other reasons, like President Hombee.”

Chloé didn’t really get that. She understood better than most the dangers of revealing your identity. One mistake during a breakdown, and she's had Hawkmoth gunning for her since. Hopefully he got the message after the last time.

Shoving all that down, Chloé followed the crowd into the museum. She gave a soft smile to Alix, knowing the girl was already scrutinizing the place to see how it holds up against the Louvre. She was reaching out to hold her hand when her attention was grabbed by a loud thud. 

Looking back to the entrance, she found that Marinette and Adrien were stuck in a door. Again. 

“If Hawkmoth ever makes a sliding door Akuma, we’re fucked,” Alix muttered. 

“Those two seem to exhibit repetitive behaviors,” Aeon commented, her and Jess sliding up beside them. 

“You have no idea,” Chloé groaned. “You’re lucky you met them now and not before they got together. It was an endless loop of not realizing they liked each other, mutual pining, trying to move on and getting mutual crushes on other people, then figuring out how four people can date. It was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”

“That sounds frustrating,” Jess said. “At least they’re together now. Kinda sad I don’t get to stage some kind of dangerous situation to push them together. I keep wanting to use the ‘trapped by a villain who threatens to kidnap the unloved, forcing them to confess’ plan.”

“She gets bored easily,” Aeon laughed at their expressions. 

“You’ll get along great with this group!” Kim said. “Alya and Nino got together because Mari locked them in a cage at the zoo during an Akuma attack!”

“Wasn’t that situation started by you?” Alix asked. 

“Uh, the thing is…” He trailed off. “Oh look the tour’s starting!”

With an eyeroll, the group got on with the tour. 

* * *

Marinette wasn't paying attention to the tour. Not that she wasn't trying! The museum was interesting and a great source of inspiration to her designs!

But as soon as she had entered this room, something felt off. It was like an energy or pressure in the air.

She wasn't the only one who felt it either. Adrien moved closer to her, not in the 'affectionate boyfriend' way, but like he was getting ready to protect her from something. Nino did the same with Alya, who kept bugging him to check his phone notifications because something had to be up. Chloé kept fidgeting, her hand reaching to the inner pocket of her jacket where Pollen hid. 

As the tour continued into the next room, Marinette hung back. Tugging Adrien behind the doorway as everyone left. Once they were alone, Marinette walked up to the exhibit. 

“Either you’re picking up on what I’m picking up on,” Adrien said. “Or you want to pull a ‘Super Penguino’.”

“Making out on a field trip is not my thing,” Marinette said, staring at the items. “But good to know you’re sensing things too. Tikki?”

“There’s something here,” Tikki said, popping out of Marinette’s purse. “Your powers are getting stronger! Last time you were at the Lourve you didn’t notice any of the Magic Artifacts!”

“There’s Magic Artifacts at the Lourve?” Adrien asked. “Is it safe just leaving them there on display?”

“Eh” Plagg said, floating around lazily. “That Pharaoh Akuma was a curveball, but the Lourve has security. Like the kind you saw at the Airport.

Ah. Right. That. Marinette had to wonder if New York had something similar. Well. It had plenty of Heroes. Even if a villain did get their hands on whatever artifact was in here, they could probably -

As if the Universe heard her talking shit, there was an explosion from above. She barely managed to tackle Adrien out of the way as the ceiling crashed down, and Techno-Pirate dropped through the newly-formed hole. 

It was a little strange to not feel the usual ‘Akuma’ vibe from him. Oh sure. All of Marinette’s senses were screaming at her that the man was dangerous. But it was different than usual.

Now it was Adrien’s turn to drag her off. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the next room where their classmates were. 

“Techno-Pirate’s back!” Adrien shouted. 

Well that caused mild panic. Not much. Both the French and American students were too used to villain attacks. The American students even seemed to exchange money, having bet on how long it’d take Techno-Pirate to escape prison this time. 

A flash of light, and Dean Gate was now in full costume as Doorman. 

“Okay, kids!” Doorman said, calmly getting their attention. “Evacuation protocols! Follow me to safety! Miss Bustier, Miss Mendeleiev, make sure everyone gets through the portal then follow!”

While everyone else ran for the exit, Marinette dragged Adrien behind an exhibit. They waited, only peeking out to make sure everyone was gone. Miss Bustier was last through the door, seeming to give an exasperated sigh before leaving. 

There were then several flashes of light from behind other exhibits. Marinette stepped out, her own exasperated expression clear as the rest of the team came out of hiding. 

"I'd be disappointed if I didn't do the same thing," Marinette said. 

"The whole point is to have Team Miraculous appear in America," Pegasus said. "Might as well show up to a fight since it came to us.”

“That and we couldn’t just run when we could help,” Rena shrugged. 

Marinette sighed. This was exactly why she chose them as Heroes, after all. Adrien’s slightly smug but mostly proud expression said he was thinking the same thing. 

“Tikki, Spots On!”

“Plagg, Claws Out!”

When the Team headed back to the other exhibit, well. Let’s just say Techno-Pirate was caught off guard by eight super-powered teenagers running full tilt at him. He was surprised enough that he didn’t even think to use the saber he’d just stolen as a means of defense!

As they fought, Ladybug took in Techno-Pirate’s upgrades. Four robotic arms attached to his back. Each one likely had some hidden surprises. 

That was proven true when Bunnyx had to dodge a sudden laser blast. Well then. Better be sure to dodge that. And- oh. He was being flung through a wall. 

“Honeybee!” Ladybug shouted. “That was a bit much!”

“He’s not an Akuma,” Honeybee shrugged. “Just an asshole.”

“I gotta agree with Honey on this one,” Carapace said. “He did try to steal a plane turbine and send a bunch of mostly innocent kids to their death!”

“You have a point,” Ladybug mused. “Okay, some extra force is allowed.”

“Oh hell yeah!” Roi Singe shouted. 

Ladybug was already regretting that. Especially because as Techno-Pirate got back up, something flew in and smacked him in the face. 

“Which one of you threw that?” Ladybug demanded. 

Her team all shrugged. A whistle from above had them looking up. Sparrow and Uncanny Valley were standing at the edge of the hole in the ceiling. And Rena was squealing in glee again. 

“Hey!” Sparrow taunted. “I thought your thing was new technology?”

“What are you planning to do with the saber?” Uncanny Valley laughed. “Use it as an antenna?”

“I don’t have time to play with annoying kids!” Techno-Pirate shouted. 

His patience seemed to have run out, going for just blasting with lasers. And completely destabilizing the structural integrity of the room! And the number of targets just made his shots wilder, while none of them could get close. Even ranged weapons were having a tough time.

Techno-Pirate decided his best bet was running, knocking over half of them as he barreled through into the next room. Instead of following, Ladybug helped Sparrow up. 

“Hey,” Ladybug said. “Glad to officially meet you guys.”

“Same here,” Sparrow said. “We can talk more after we deal with Techno-Pirate again.”

Agreeing to that, they ran out to the next room. And the room after that. Seems Techno-Pirate was out on the streets and heading through the city. Ladybug was thinking quickly. They had strength in numbers, but it didn’t matter if he escaped. 

“Carapace!” Ladybug shouted. “Use Shell-ter to keep Techno-Pirate here!”

“I only have one shot and he’s a moving target!” Carapace shouted back. 

“Just do it ahead of him,” Chat said. “As big as you can!”

“Shell-ter!”

A green barrier appeared on the next building. Techno-Pirate slid to a stop to keep himself from barreling into it. That gave the Heroes enough time to catch up and surround him. 

“Surrender, Techno-Pirate!” Sparrow shouted. “There’s nowhere to run now!”

“Or give us a hint,” Pegasus sighed. “You work with new technology, why steal from a museum?”

“Old tech can still be useful with a few upgrades,” Techno-Pirate said. “You kids should know that!”

And he was back to blasting. One laser was focused on trying to get through Shell-ter, while the others focused on them. This was getting annoying. 

“Roi Singe, take out the lasers!” Ladybug commanded. “Honeybee, get ready to subdue him when you have a chance!”

“Uproar!”

“Venom!”

While Honeybee’s top pulsed with energy, Roi Singe received a plush toy of Majestia. The plush toy was thrown, hitting a laser arm which promptly went limp. Honeybee moved in, only to get hit by a different laser right in the chest.

“Honeybee!” Bunnyx shouted, jumping to her. 

“I’m good!” Honeybee replied, staggering to her feet. “Mostly. Can we hurry this up?”

As Bunnyx used her umbrella to shield them both, Ladybug began to think of different plans. Uproar only got rid of one laser. Honeybee was down, and Bunnyx likely wouldn’t leave her side. Shell-ter was used up. Voyage was useless. Mirage might be a good distraction, but they needed to take down the lasers. 

She wasn’t entirely sure what Sparrow and Uncanny Valley could do, but they seemed to be competent Heroes in their own right. 

“Chat, let’s go classic!” Ladybug suggested. “Rena, make a distraction!”

“As you wish, Bugaboo!” Chat grinned. 

“Lucky Charm!”

“Cataclysm!”

“Mirage!”

Ladybug got a bike pump. Not the strangest Lucky Charm. Rena Rouge played her flute, and copies of Chat appeared all over the roof. They were easily taken out by the laser fire, but it gave the real one enough time to get in close. 

But they forgot about Techno-Pirate’s actual arm. His hand shot out, grabbing Chat’s wrist, and threw him at Sparrow. Uncanny Valley pushed her partner out of the way, 

The next few seconds happened in slow-motion. Chat’s hand connecting with Uncanny Valley’s chest, the Android glitching and collapsing. Rena’s Illusions dissolving into orange mist. Everyone frozen, except for Techno-Pirate who had begun to chuckle to himself. 

_**“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!”**_

The sound was practically ear-shattering. Bad for their Teammates who had enhanced hearing.  Majestia was a blur, her fist colliding with Techno-Pirate's face so hard it sent him flying through buildings down the block.

Sparrow and Chat Noir had recovered enough to check on Uncanny, but Majestia was quick to shove Chat away and pull Uncanny into her lap.

When Uncanny Valley began to pull herself up, Majestia hugged her close. A sigh of relief, but still teary eyed.

“I’m okay, mother,” Uncanny Valley said. “The damage is only superficial. Nothing important for function was damaged!”

That didn’t mean the ‘superficial’ damage was any less freaky. Her chest seems to have rusted away, while her uniform looked burned, the edges still having the crumbling effect of Cataclysm. It revealed the inner mechanisms, gears and circuitry and other such stuff. 

“Your powers are supposed to destroy anything they touch.”

Everyone jumped, unsure when Knight Owl appeared. Chat looked guiltily at Uncanny Valley before facing the Hero again. 

“I have some control over the destruction,” Chat said. “I don’t want to kill, so it won’t.”

Neither of the adult Heroes seemed to make any sense out of that. They finally had that sort of shrug that said ‘Magic does as Magic wants’. 

“I can fix this a bit,” Ladybug said, gesturing with her Lucky Charm.

“With your Magical bicycle pump?” Knight Owl asked. 

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

The wave of Magic washed over Uncanny Valley first, fixing her body and uniform. It then continued, healing Honeybee’s earlier injury, fixing damage to the rooftop, and restoring the buildings Techno-Pirate was punched through before heading back toward the museum. 

“Wish we had that all the time,” Sparrow commented. 

Now that things were calmer, the Team was really taking it in. Rena looked about ten seconds away from putting her flute in record mode to ask Majestia and Knight Owl a million questions. And while Ladybug and Chat felt nervous, they also believed they had handled the situation fairly well. 

The American Heroes though…. Well. They didn’t look as happy or excited. Knight Owl was unreadable, given his mask. As was Sparrow. Majestia looked concerned. Uncanny looked more thoughtful. 

“You’re kids,” Majesita said finally. 

“Teenagers,” Roi Singe corrected. 

“Where is your leader?” Knight Owl demanded. 

“Chat Noir and I are co-leaders,” Ladybug said, stepping closer to her partner’s side. 

“I mean an adult!” he said. “Don’t you have some adults in charge? Some kind of mentor? Anything?”

“We had one but he retired,” Pegasus said. “He was somewhat helpful while he was around.”

“Not really,” Honeybee said. “Kinda said ‘here’s some Magic Jewelry, go nuts!’, then tried to make sure we didn't communicate at all in the name of secrecy.”

“It’s true but you shouldn’t say it,” Chat cringed. 

“You are children!” Majestia repeated. “Those powers are dangerous! What would have happened if you couldn’t control it? Or if Uncanny wasn’t an Android? Or if you couldn’t fix it?!”

“Who in the right mind would let you run around unsupervised?!” Knight Owl nearly screeched. 

Ladybug had expected that if the American Heroes were to disapprove of them, she would feel guilty. Unworthy. The same way she felt that first day, when she failed with Stoneheart and nearly gave up being Ladybug. 

Yet all she could feel now is rage. And as she felt her Team step closer to her, and Chat’s hand in hers, she knew they felt the same. So she glared at the two older Heroes. 

“I think we’ve done pretty well on our own,” Ladybug said, careful to keep her voice even. “Kids or not, untrained or not, we are doing this. Would it be nice to have more adult help? Sure. But it’s not like anyone else has decided to fly over and check up on us at all!”

That got a bit of a recoil from Knight Owl. He looked about to retort, but Ladybug didn’t want to hear it right now. Especially as she heard her earrings beep, and knew most of them were already on timers. 

As if the universe decided to answer her prayers for an excuse to leave, all of the Team’s weapons started ringing. And Akuma back in Paris. Perfect. 

“If you’ll excuse us,” Ladybug said. “We have to make a quick trip back to deal with Paris. After all, we’re the only Heroes it has, aren’t we? Pegasus, your turn.”

“Voyage!”

The portal appeared, and they quickly stepped through. Her rage had subsided somewhat, so she gave a sad wave to the Heroes still stunned on the roof. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know if you noticed but I am changing Jess and Aeon's plot of 'wanting to leave the nest' and all that. I'll hopefully go into it next chapter. 
> 
> Also rip to Bustier and Mendeleieve for having to explain why half their class disappeared and that's totally fine and no one should worry!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get better. Then they get a hell of a lot worse.

"Half of your class is missing, but you're not concerned?" Dean gasped incredulously. 

"Of course we're concerned," Caline assured. "But there's little we can do. I'm sure your powers just… Sent them somewhere else! They'll either make their way back or call us for help soon."

"My powers don't malfunction like that!" He insisted. "It was one portal. You were the last through, and you made it here fine! How does half of your class not make it through and you don't notice?!"

Caline really tried to find a response. She hadn't expected the students to disappear in such a noticeable way! Couldn't they have come here for the headcount and then run off after they were sent to their rooms?

"Tell you what," Dimitra said. "You tell us where your students, Jessica Keynes and Aeon Hill, disappeared to. Then we'll tell you why we're not as panicked about our students."

Ah. From Dean's expression, it seemed like he had clicked into what was going on. It did make Caline curious about his students. But she assumed that not knowing was better. 

* * *

Ladybug was a little happy to see Paris again. The portal had put them on top of their school. It shocked her to see students leaving for the day before remembering timezones. 

"Bunnyx, you're the only one not on a timer," Ladybug said. "Go tell Viperion and Arashi we're on the way. Everyone else, spread out, recharge, then head to the battle. And don't let anyone see you as a civilian."

It didn't take long for Ladybug to recharge. Though it did take an extra moment, as her instinct had been to hide on her own balcony. She was supposed to be in New York, and couldn't risk someone looking up and seeing her. 

She found that the Akuma was at the Arc de Triomphe. Heading over, she saw an Akuma trapped in a floating water bubble. Only their head outside, and unable to swim their way out. Viperion and Bunnyx were just staring up at it. 

"That can't be comfortable," Honeybee said, dropping beside her. 

"No, it can't," Ladybug said. "Viperion, you have the item?"

"Ready, my Melody!" Viperion said, handing her a pen.

_"Lucky Charm!"_

Another pen for Lucky Charm. Huh. She nodded to Viperion, and he crushed the first pen. As she caught the Butterfly, Arashi released the Akuma from the water bubble and reformed.

"Bye bye, little Butterfly!"

_"Miraculous Ladybug!"_

Ladybug's instinct was to go comfort the former Akuma. But Arashi caught her first. Viperion came next. The rest of the Team was filtering in, so she let them do it. 

"You did not need to bring the whole Team," Arashi said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah I just needed to get us out of there," Ladybug sighed. 

"Are you okay?" Viperion repeated the question. 

"Yeah just-" she sighed. "Things didn't go smoothly with the American Heroes. Kind of a disaster really."

"I can come back and talk some sense into them," Arashi offered. "I have two elements, my sword, and my fists if necessary."

That at least got Ladybug to laugh. Made her feel better. 

"If anyone could punch Majestia it would be you," Ladybug said. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm just going to gather everyone up and get back to the class. God knows they have to be wondering where we disappeared to."

* * *

Chat stepped through the portal. Thankfully he recognized where they were. It was just a few buildings away from their hotel. They all detransformed again. And god Adrien wondered if he'd ever get used to seeing one 'set of friends' turn into a different 'set of friends'. 

They headed back, quietly debating on what excuse to use. And of course it began raining too. Great. 

Adrien heard his phone ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw his father's contact lighting up. Raising an eyebrow, he double checked. 

Yep. That was his father's contact. Not Nathalie's. It would be better to answer now. 

Most of his friends had stopped in front of the hotel with him, but he shooed them inside. They reluctantly went in, being interrogated by the other classmates. Marinette was the only one who stayed as he answered the phone.

"Hello," Adrien said. 

"Adrien, you are coming home tonight," Gabriel's voice answered. "Nathalie is arranging a car to pick you up and take you to the airport. Pack your bags it should be there in an hour."

A lot of times, Adrien would have complied with that. But he was in New York. He was with friends who had done so much to get him on this trip in the first place. 

And okay. Maybe he was still a bit pissed off at what had happened earlier with Majestia and Knight Owl. So maybe when his father pulled this shit again, he took it as an opportunity to vent some frustration. 

"You promised me I would be able to enjoy the trip," Adrien said. "This is our first full day and you're already going back on this?!"

"Don't take that tone," Gabriel replied. "Your teachers have informed me that your class was attacked by one of New York's villains. Twice! Clearly it is too dangerous for you there, and I made a mistake in allowing your friends to convince me."

"It's not like I'm any safer in Paris with Hawkmoth running around!" He shouted back, ignoring the part of him that said it wouldn't work. 

"Of course it is," he scoffed. "Hawkmoth is less dangerous than many of New York's Heroes. And should he slip up, Ladybug can bring things back to normal."

"Ladybug can fix things but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen!" He retorted. "Since Hawkmoth showed up I've been dangled off buildings, frozen, chased by zoo animals, turned into a statue, kidnapped by a slime monster, sent to the void, zombified, and mind controlled more times than I can count! Just because Hawkmoth doesn't intend on sending people to a firey death doesn't mean there isn't any danger!"

His father was strangely silent on the other end. Though any second now he would be saying "do as I say. You're coming home. You have no choice.". But Adrien did feel a little better. Even if he now had Marinette silently checking in on him. And an audience of the friends looking at him from the hotel doors. Guess he was a little too loud. 

"You have made your point," Gabriel said. "You may stay."

"I- what?" Adrien asked, sure he was hearing wrong. 

"You… Have a point about Hawkmoth's actions," he said. "And as Ladybug is in New York as well, you would be safer there."

"I… thank you," he smiled. 

Without another word, his father hung up. Huh. That went better than expected. A lot better than expected. 

Adrien was so shocked he almost forgot about the pouring rain until Marinette dragged him inside. There, he was practically tackled by Nino. 

“I’m so proud!” Nino exclaimed. “My baby chick is growing his wings!”

“Uh, what?” Adrien asked. 

“You told your dad to fuck off,” Alix grinned. “Good for you, man. And it sounds like it worked.”

“Of course it worked,” Chloé shrugged. “Best way to deal with Gabriel is to put your foot down and yell at him until he listens.”

Huh. She was kind of right. The few times his father truly seemed to listen to him was when he went out of his way to disobey him. Ironic, isn’t it?

“Anyway,” Alya said. “There’s good news and bad news. Good news is that the teachers believe us when we said that Doorman’s powers accidentally sent us somewhere else. Bad news, we have to talk to the other two who got sent elsewhere to compare notes for him. So for the love of god keep your stories straight!”

“No one in this group can keep anything straight,” Kim snickered. 

Rolling their eyes, the group followed Alya to one of the hotel’s conference rooms. Adrien had to laugh at Chloé. She was clearly judging the conference room compared to the ones at her dad’s hotel. She seemed to find it adequate enough, and gestured for everyone to sit down. 

The other students who came in were the two from the American Class. Jess and Aeon. At least they’d be talking to people who had become a bit more used to their usual sporadic antics. It’d be easier to cover for each other as they made up the story.

“So,” Jess said as she closed the door. “How do you want to handle this?”

"Direct seems better,” Aeon said. “Mother’s approach didn’t work as well. It just confused them.”

What were they talking about? When had they met Aeon’s mother? This was strange. 

“Did you know that AI can see through Magic designed to disguise identities?” Aeon asked. 

Their whole team froze at that. Except for Max, who just laid his head down on the table and muttered a few swears. Now that he mentioned that, how did any of them forget?

“Interesting fun fact!” Alya said, recovering first. “Why are you telling us though? As much as I’d love to post anything and everything on the Ladyblog, I don’t think that info getting out would be good.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t,” Jess agreed. “Just like we probably shouldn’t let anyone outside this room know that Doorman’s powers aren’t unstable enough to transport people to an entirely different area.”

“But we did get sent elsewhere,” Marinette said. “Luckily it was just a few shops down.”

“Nope,” Aeon grinned. “You didn’t go through the door at all! You were with us chasing down Techno-Pirate! By the way, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that there are no lasting effects of Cataclysm. While the damage was superficial anyway, the Miraculous Cure fixed it all up! Oh, and you don’t have to worry about villains learning your secrets. I have failsafe programs to delete that part of my memory if I were captured or hacked!”

No one really had a reaction to that. Perhaps their brains were just processing that information. 

“Uncanny Valley,” Marinette sighed, before her gaze turned to Jess. “Which means you must be Sparrow.”

“But she’s a girl,” Kim said. 

“Voice modulator,” Jess shrugged. “Surprised none of you used that trick.”

“The Glamour is usually enough,” Alya sighed, giving in. 

“Considering how long it took all of you to realize who was who,” Chloé muttered. 

“We are paying for our sins,” Adrien groaned. 

“I’ll explain later,” Alix said to the girls’ confused expressions.

“You know,” Chloé mused, staring at Jess. “You don’t seem Immortal.”

“What’s an Immortal supposed to look like?” Jess asked. 

“I’d answer that but it contains spoilers,” Adrien muttered. 

“Hush, you nerd,” Chloé glared. “But since you don’t seem Immortal, I’m taking a wild guess that Knight Owl isn’t either.”

“Guess since we know your secrets, I can tell mine,” Jess said. “Knight Owl and Sparrow are Legacy Heroes. Once Knight Owl retires, their Sparrow takes on the Mantle and chooses a new apprentice to replace them.”

“That’s so cool!” Alya sighed. “God I wish I could report on that but you probably want to keep it secret.”

“Story of your life,” Nino said, nudging her. “There probably isn’t much we can actually share about specifics.”

“Actually!” Max said, an almost maniacal grin on his face. “Miss Uncanny, if it’s not on the confidential list, can I discuss some of your mechanics? I’m working on some upgrades for Markov and I’d love to learn a few tips.”

“You should really discuss it with my mother,” Aeon said. “But I’d be happy to tell you what I can!”

Suddenly, the two were in their own little world. They talked so fast, it would be hard to follow even if they did know any of the robotics terms they used. A few glances around and everyone seemed to agree that it was best to ignore them. 

There was a slight uncomfortable lapse in silence for the rest. Marinette was on edge, all of her ‘don’t reveal your identity’ lessons screaming at her that this was bad. Not to mention everyone was still upset after the fight from earlier. 

“Look,” Jess sighed, playing with her bracelet. “About what m- what Knight Owl and Majestia said. They weren’t trying to make it sound like you weren’t enough.”

“Yeah they sounded real supportive,” Kim said. 

“More supportive than my mother so that’s a start!” Chloé said. 

“Honey, no,” Alix sighed, leaning against her girlfriend’s shoulder. “That is such a low bar.”

"There is so much to unpack there," Jess sighed. "But Knight Owl and Majestia weren't upset at you, or trying to say you aren't good at what you do. If anything they're impressed that you're doing as well as you are after your mentor said "here kids! Have some dangerous Magic Artifacts and figure it out!". They're horrified that anyone would choose a bunch of teenagers and refuse to train them. Aeon was literally built for being a Hero, and I've been training for years, but we're barely allowed in the field on our own. Which is frustrating sometimes, but I get why. Yet you guys just get… Thrown into it without all that. Without support. And if something goes wrong, you don't have someone else to bail you out."

Adrien… really felt that. The way Marinette stiffened up next to him, he knew she felt it too. 

They joke about it a lot. But they had been tossed into this with no explanations. Tikki and Plagg did what they could, but the Kwami couldn't train them. And as for a bail out, there wasn't one. The closest they had was Viperion's Second Chance, or Bunnyx's Burrow if the situation was dire enough. But it wasn't the same. 

And god he still remembers his first fight against Stoneheart. All excited because it was "just like Sailor Moon". Then getting to the part where he was thrown down a city block and realizing "oh. This hurts!".

He knew it was worse for Mari. She was the one who couldn't fail in battle, because then it would be over. She was the one that Master Fu decided to replace him as Guardian, taking on all his duties and watching over the Kwami and choosing new Heroes. And unlike him, she hadn't been on board with it from the start, only doing it because someone had to.

So why didn't they show up earlier?" Nino asked. "Why not pop over to Paris and see what's up?"

"A few reasons," Jess answered. "First is that, for a while, info on your situation. was banned. A few travelers leaked it, but it wasn't until Prince Ali visited and was attacked that it became international news that Paris had a Supervillain. I think it was originally ordered by the Mayor due to not wanting to deter tourism?"

"Damn it dad," Chloé muttered. 

"That tracks actually," Alya mused. "Right after Princess Fragrance, the Ladyblog exploded in popularity. I thought it was just from Prince Ali being involved but the site traffic hasn't gone back down yet."

“By the time we got info,” Jess said. “You guys had a handle on the situation. Majestia and Knight Owl couldn’t imagine two kids being in charge of the situation. They thought you were young adults, or at least had some training. They do admit they should’ve checked better, and reacted better when finding out. Which is why they sent us to apologize.”

“That’s…. Good,” Marinette nodded. “I should apologize to them too, shouldn’t I? I kind of assumed the worst and snapped at them.”

“Eh, they deserve it sometimes,” she shrugged. “I love them, but they can sometimes drift into the whole ‘We’re the smartest and most powerful so we’re in charge’ mindset and forget about other situations. Like you guys. Neither knows that much about Magic, so you should take the lead if they were dealing with it.”

That was. Surprising. It was rare that rage against an adult was validated for them. Unless the adult was quite obviously bad, like Hawkmoth. Or Audrey. And more than occasionally Gabriel as well. Any objectively ‘good’ adult was usually met by others with a ‘yeah it sucks but you gotta listen to them’. 

While Adrien was contemplating how good it felt to have his emotions validated, Aeon was back in the conversation and shoving something in Jess’s face. Wait. Was that Kaalki??

“Isn’t she so adorable?!” Aeon grinned, holding up the Kwami. “It looks just like those pony toys you have in your room!”

“No idea what you mean,” Jess said, a light blush on her face. “But what in the world is that thing?”

“Unhand me!” Kaalki said, wriggling out of Aeon’s grip. “This is humiliating! I am a Goddess! Not some child’s plaything!”

“It’s okay, Kaalki,” Max sighed. “Have a sugarcube.

Kaalki reluctantly took the offered snack. Still, she sat on his shoulder and glared at the Android. 

“Right, forgot about that,” Adrien said, earning a light poke from the pocket of his shirt. “Kaalki is a Kwami, one of the Magic beings who give us our powers.”

“So you all have one?” Aeon asked, looking very excited. 

The Kwami popped out of their various hiding places to introduce themselves. Both the American Heroes looked a little overwhelmed at that. However, Marinette was staring thoughtfully at Aeon. 

“You can see them?” Marinette wondered. 

“Are they supposed to be invisible?” Aeon asked. 

“Maybe?” she said. “The Kwami don’t usually show up on video. And since you’re… you know.”

“Really?” Max said. “I haven’t noticed that problem with Kaalki and Markov.”

Huh. That was strange. Was it because both Markov and Aeon were AI instead of just cameras, despite ‘seeing’ using video equipment? But what exactly did that mean in general?

Even the Kwamis seemed to have no proper answer. Ah, the mysteries of modern technology plague them once again. 

“So!” Alya grinned. “Now that we’re on slightly better terms, do you think you could convince Knight Owl and Majestia to let me interview them for my blog? It’d go a long way to really making it up to us!”

“Really babe?” Nino sighed. 

“Hey, I get first dibs on talking to Knight Owl,” Chloé exclaimed. “I have to ask about copyright issues!”

Here we go again.

* * *

Marinette walked through the halls of the hotel. Both her class and the American class were downstairs, having a dinnertime hang out. A few conference rooms were rented out for games. Max even managed to bring his Mecha Strike setup (or, more likely, used Kaalki to pop back home and get it,). 

Usually she would be playing and kicking everyone’s ass in the tournament. But she wanted to talk about some things. So she had headed back up to their rooms. 

After knocking on the door, there was a lot of shuffling sounds. Like that of papers being hidden in drawers and under mattresses. She was very familiar with that since becoming Guardian, and having to hide a handful of Kwami, or even other Heroes who sneak in at night, from her parents. 

“Hey,” Jess said, opening the door. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask you about some things," Marinette confessed. 

"About regular things or…?" She asked. 

After Marinette nodded, she was invited in. The hotel room looked like the others. Though she was surprised at how messy it was. 

Not that it was a disaster. But in all the other rooms, there was a clear divide of whose mess was whose. Here, it all became one. 

Jess crossed the room to one of the dressers. Inside were papers and files, probably what she was looking at before Marinette knocked.

"So," Jess said, reorganizing the papers. "You want to look over the Techno-Pirate incident? We're not sure what he was trying to do, but since he's still out there…."

"I'll leave that in your jurisdiction for now," Marinette said. "I was… I wanted to ask about something else."

“Oh,” she said, dropping the papers back on the dresser. “What then?”

“Just…. The whole Legacy thing with you and Knight Owl,” she said. “How do you handle it? The pressure to live up to what the others did? Knowing you’ll take over the role? Knowing that it…. That it might be sooner than you want it to be.”

She didn’t want to bring up that last part. She knew that unlike Hawkmoth, some American Heroes did aim to kill. And they didn’t have any power to fix that like she did. 

But it was something she had to ask. When Fu first began to train her as the Guardian, she had those fears. They only became intensified after the Feast Incident, when she realized that it was only a matter of time before Master Fu was forced into giving up his position. And while it hadn’t been the worst case scenario(God did she fear the Guardian’s Failsafe), and he assured her there was nothing left he could guide her on, she still feared she wasn’t ready. 

Jess sighed, sitting down on the bed. Marinette sat on the one across from her. Given the other girl’s expression, Marinette was beginning to regret asking this. Or at least springing it on her so early into their friendship. 

“I don’t think I know,” Jess admitted. “Knight Owl is a lot to live up to. And I’ve… made a few mistakes before. Mo- er, Knight Owl tried to comfort me, saying that it’s normal for Sparrows to have doubts.”

"Were you about to call Knight Owl ‘mom’?” Marinette asked. “Is that because of the mentor-relationship or….”

“Oh, well, damn it,” she shook her head. “I was trying to keep some of the professionalism and secret identities. But considering you know Aeon is Uncanny Valley, you’d probably connect ‘Aeon’s mom’ to Majestia, and it’s not that big a leap. So yeah, Knight Owl is my mom.”

Well that was a revelation. Especially considering what Alya had told her about the relationships between Majestia and Knight Owl. Though it remained to be seen if Alya was telling the entire truth, or just speculating about her ships. 

“Does…” Marinette said. “Do you think that makes the pressure to live up to her better or worse?”

“I think it’s better and worse in different ways,” Jess said. “Mom can be more… comforting than just a teacher. More personal. But she’s also more protective. I told you that Aeon and I weren’t allowed out on our own for a long while.”

“Still baffling to me,” she said with a half-hearted chuckle. 

“Yeah, well, it was a little frustrating at times,” she said. “Knowing that I could handle more. So there were a few times where I disobeyed orders and tried going solo. Usually it worked out, but when it didn’t….”

"When you did mess up, it was big,” she guessed. “Because what we do has such high stakes.”

“Exactly,” she nodded. “Sometimes I want to quit. Other times, I want to say ‘fuck the Legacy’, and just. Take what I know to be my own Hero. I’d totally pick the name ‘Nightwing’ if it wasn’t copyright protected.”

“Well, if you moved to Paris, I think you’d make a good teammate,” she offered. 

“You think?” she laughed. “Sorry I couldn’t help you with the whole. You know. Kinda ended up talking about my own problems.”

“It did help,” Marinette said. “I at least got to vent and connect.”

"Since you’re here,” she said, picking up the papers again, “You want to check over the files? You might see something we’re missing about Techno-Pirate’s plan.”

Marinette nodded, switching to the other bed. Jess spread out the papers, letting her see that there were data files on Techno-Pirate, reports from various Heroes who fought the villain, and photos from the battle earlier. 

“This stuff is a summary of Techno-Pirate’s usual playbook,” Jess said, pointing to one stack. “Typically he steals mechanical parts to make into weapons. He usually uses weapons to fight, and to steal more tech to make more weapons. If he’s grabbing parts he’ll try to go in quick and make a run for it, but with his main targets he usually takes hostages.”

“So the museum was probably just him getting parts for something,” Marinette mused. “If he wanted hostages, Adrien and I were in the room when he broke in, but he didn’t even notice us.”

“Why were you still in there anyway?” she wondered. 

“Oh, we thought we felt a-,” she paused, frowning. 

Something clicked in her brain. The reason they were in that room in the first place. Techno-Pirate’s remark of ‘old tech can be useful with upgrades’. With that in mind, she began scanning the photos. 

“Did Techno-Pirate manage to steal anything from the museum?” Marinette asked. “I know he was after the Sabre but was there anything else missing?”

“One thing,” Jess said, pointing to a photo. “An eagle talon necklace, given to George Washington by Marquis de Lafayette as a symbol of French/American friendship. Not sure what a guy like Techno-Pirate would want with it.”

Taking the photo, Marinette stared at it. She couldn’t feel anything through a photo, but something in her gut was screaming at her. 

“Tikki,” Marinette said. “Please tell me this isn’t what I was noticing in the Museum.”

“Uh,” Tikki answered, having perched on the girl’s shoulder. “It probably was. Which is very very bad!”

“You know what it is?” Jess asked. 

“I know it’s something Magic,” Marinette said. “I forgot because Techno-Pirate showed up, but I could feel something Magic in the room. Guess it was this.”

“The museum just has Magic Artifacts lying around?” she asked. “Wait, you know what? I’m not that surprised actually. It explains so much. Especially why the head of our Magic Department was involved. Though blondie a cryptic motherfucker so I’m gonna kick his ass for not telling us in the first place.”

“I know the feeling,” she sighed, thinking of a certain red-head. “Tikki, how bad is this situation?”

“That necklace is another Miraculous,” Tikki said, much to their surprise. “The Miraculous of the Eagle, with the power of Liberation. It can free others from their limitations.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Marinette said. “But knowing the Miraculous, I bet it is.”

“I’m calling this in,” Jess said. 

She reached for her phone, and quickly dialed. It only took two rings before it picked up. 

“Knight Owl, this is Sparrow,” Jess said. “Ladybug gave me more info on the Techno-Pirate situation. That necklace is a Miraculous, like the ones her Team has. It has the power to free others from limitations.” 

Jess paused for a minute, listening to the other line. 

“What do you mean he’s surrendering?” Jess asked. “That has to be a trap!”

Another pause. 

“We can be downtown in five minutes,” Jess said. 

Another pause, this time followed by a frustrated sigh. 

“Okay, we’ll stand back,” Jess said. “Just be careful. You don’t know what he’ll throw at you.”

With that, she hung up. However, she turned her attention to the tv in the room. Grabbing the remote, she flipped it on and to a news channel. 

On screen it showed, well. Marinette could assume it was Techno-Pirate walking down the city streets. The man’s outfit had browns and golds, and a pair of wings sprouting from his back. As he moved, she realized the wings looked more mechanical than organic. Still, he was definitely using the Eagle Miraculous. 

“I wanna surrender!” Techno-Pirate(Techno-Eagle?) shouted. “I never wanted to stop the French-American Friendship Ceremony from happening! If I have to lose my freedom for everyone else to celebrate theirs, then fine! I surrender! Put me in jail!”

Well that was absolutely a trap. 

The Heroes dropped down, cautiously surrounding him. However, the way Tikki’s paws held tight to Marinette’s shoulder, she knew something bad was about to happen. 

“Don’t be scared!” Techno-Eagle shouted. “I genuinely wish for nothing but your freedom! _LIBERATION!_ ”

With that, golden feathers flew out of him and toward the Heroes. They attempted to block the projectiles, but each feather merely sank into them. It seemed to freeze each in place. 

“Majestia!” Techno-Eagle commanded. “You’re afraid of your own power! I release you from your fear!”

“All the things I never dared to try!” Majestia gasped, clearly delighted. 

The news camera followed her as she flew into the air. Taking a breath, she blew out a wind that knocked buildings apart. Still laughing with glee that it worked. 

“Knight Owl!” Techno-Eagle shouted. “Your morality keeps you from bringing justice more swiftly than you wish! I release you from your code of ethics!”

“Why should I shou more lenience than the people who show none?” Knight Owl growled. 

With that, she threw one of her grenades at a poorly parked car, blowing it sky high before swinging away. 

“Victory!” Techno-Pirate turned to his next victim. “You once swore you would devote your life to protecting people’s freedom! I release you from that promise!”

“You’ll see who’s leader of the free world!” Victory screamed. “You will obey me! No more freedom!”

She opened a black briefcase, taking out a remote. With a press of a buttons she- wait. Were there hidden missile launchers all over New York??? What the hell??

“Doorman!” Techno-Eagle shouted once again. “You can go anywhere you want, but you resist personal gain for the greater good! I release you from your qualms!”

"I’ve always wanted to visit the Vatican Secret Archives!” Doorman remarked, bolting for a door. “No! I know! The Queen of England’s treasure room!”

They continued to watch as the rest of the Heroes were ‘Liberated’. Going wild. Destroying things. Lazing around on the job. Even committing theft! This was very not good. 

Techno-Eagle turned to the camera, making the reporter holding it back up in fear. However, he didn’t hurt them. Yet. 

“Team Miraculous,” Techno-Eagle addressed. “I told you your old tech could use some upgrades! Too bad you never thought of it yourselves! Imagine what your little trinkets can accomplish in tandem with my machines!”

He then bolts over to Victory, wrestling the remote from her hand and throwing her down the street. Activating his wings, he soared away. The camera managed to follow him to the Statue of Liberty. And somehow, perhaps through hacking the systems, the camera still picked up his audio. 

The camera also picked up a rocket of some kind rising from the water near the statue. Why must America have so many hidden weapons????

“Team Miraculous!” Techno-Eagle shouted once more. “Either give up your powers and let me use them to their full potential, or this rocket takes off and starts World War three! You have five minutes!”

At that, Marinette finally noticed that her phone was exploding with calls and texts. So was Jess’s. Hands shaking, Marinette picked up, not caring which of the Team she answered. 

“I’m with Jess,” Marinette said. “We’ll meet you in the conference room. 

* * *

“We have to do something!” Aeon said, looking on the verge of a panic attack. Do Androids get panic attacks?

“Okay, this is fine!” Jess said, also looking on the verge of panic as she paced. “On one side, there’s us. Aeon and I are most trained here, but you all have Magic weapons. On the other side, we have super powerful veteran heroes with years of training, who have all gone insane! Great odds!”

“We also know how a Miraculous operates,” Marinette said. 

“If we can get the necklace off him, he loses control,” Adrien said. “But someone needs to use it to reverse the effect on the other Heroes.”

“Who’s going to do that?” Chloé asked. 

“I volunteer!” Alya said. 

“No,” Marinette said. “You remember how well using multiple Miraculous went last time? I don’t know how bad this fight will be, and I can’t risk one of us getting so drained if there's other options.” 

“So either Jess or Aeon,” Alix said. 

“Wait, what?” Aeon said. “We can’t… I’m not sure if I can even use a Miraculous.”

“I’ll do it, then,” Jess said. “Guess I am joining the Team after all.”

Aeon gave Jess a look. Kind of sad, really. But she didn’t protest. Marinette wondered if Jess had confided in her partner about her doubts. 

“The real problem is getting near ‘Techno-Eagle’,” Carapace mused. 

“Easy,” Max said. “We Voyage into the Statue of Liberty. I can’t guarantee an exact location up top. I need to be a bit more familiar with places I’m opening portals to, but I can get us in the statue.” 

“And then I can use Uproar to cancel out the Eagle’s powers!” Kim said. “It’s perfect!”

“Not quite,” Alya said. “Techno-Eagle is bound to have more than just the Miraculous. He’s probably got weapons. Not to mention he can just activate that rocket as soon as he sees us.”

“Then I use Uproar on that, and we grab the Miraculous the old fashioned way!” he said. 

“No, remember what happened at the museum?” Adrien said. “You only took out one laser cannon.”

“I could rig up an EMP,” Max mused. “Not in less than five minutes though. Well, four minutes.”

“Actually,” Marinette mused. “I might have something that can work. I do need you to help me make a quick trip though. 

"I know that look, Bugaboo,” Adrien grinned. “And I can’t wait to see where this goes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, staying up until 4 am despite the fact that I need to get up real early tomorrow: "Haha! I'm in danger!"

**Author's Note:**

> I've had that song scene in mind for a long while!


End file.
